Nitin Gadkari: Ethanol a small share of sons' business, attacks motivated
NEW DELHI: Nitin Gadkari rejected allegations of a conflict of interest and personal gain over his push for the ethanol blending programme. The road transport and highways minister said he had always backed alternative fuels to reduce vehicular pollution and India’s import bill.Gadkari said the attacks are “politically motivated”. He told TOI that his sons’ business had a small share of ethanol and their contribution to the overall kitty was meagre. Besides, he said, the business had a debt of Rs 1,600 crore and he was in no way associated with it or in fixing the price or its procurement.The minister insisted the ethanol blending programme dated back to the days of the Vajpayee govt and was also backed by UPA administration, with then oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar supporting it in Parliament.He asserted that he has not just supported ethanol from sugarcane, but also from maize, stubble and bamboo. Moreover, he has pushed for all other types of alternative fuels, including methanol, hydrogen and electric vehicles.
Gadkari said the claims on social media lacked substance and there was a major disinformation campaign. Although he admitted that fuel efficiency is likely to be affected while driving on highways, he dismissed claims of engine damage to vehicles, arguing that even carmakers such as Maruti had not seen any impact.
‘If you don’t want E20, you can buy 100% petrol, but pay more’
Road transport & highways minister Nitin Gadkari, who has been criticised over E20 fuel, says misinformation has been weaponised against him and govt. In a chat with TOI’s Dipak Dash, he defends his push for alternative fuels — ethanol-blended petrol, methanol, hydrogen and electric vehicles — to reduce pollution and cut India’s dependence on crude imports. Excerpts:Q) There has been widespread criticism against you and govt’s ethanol blending programme with fears of vehicles getting damaged and loss of mileage.The campaign is politically motivated. Certain people are targeting me and govt. There is also misinformation about E20 fuel damaging engines. All E10-compliant vehicles are fit for using E20 fuel. There have been no complaints so far about the fuel damaging engine.Maruti Suzuki has publicly stated so. Auto manufacturers offer guarantees on vehicles. There are people in your office who are using two-wheelers and petrol cars, how many have faced a problem? A few days ago, I had asked people to write to my ministry in case they are facing any problems with their vehicles. There has been no complaint so far.E20 fuel was launched after being properly tested. As for mileage, in city traffic in Delhi or Mumbai, you will not see any major change, there may be some loss when you are driving at high speed on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. I have always said there is a minor mileage loss due to low calorific value of ethanol compared to petrol.Q) People allege you have personal interest in promoting ethanol and your family has also gained from the ethanol blending programme. What’s your response?I have been speaking about ethanol for a long time. This is not a programme that came up overnight, it started during Atal Bihari Vajpayee govt. In 2005, during UPA govt, then petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had spoken about continuing the programme in Parliament. The sugar factory belongs to my family and it predates the whole conversation around ethanol. That business is run by my sons, the programme is run by the petroleum ministry and the price is decided by the Cabinet.So, I have no influence over it. Ethanol is just 10% of the business and the factories run by my sons have less than 0.5% share of the ethanol business in the country. The companies have a debt of Rs 1,600 crore. Lot of lies are being spread.I am a strong believer in alternative fuels, whether it is ethanol blended petrol, electric vehicles, methanol or hydrogen — all cleaner options that will reduce pollution, especially in a city like Delhi, where vehicles contribute up to 40% of air pollution. Shouldn’t the road transport support steps to reduce vehicular pollution?Moreover, it lowers import dependence as India is a large importer of oil. Also, I am not only advocating only sugarcane-based ethanol. In fact, started with maize, which helped farmers in Bihar and UP, who were getting prices below MSP. I have also been supporting ethanol from rice, parali (stubble) and the kind that is produced by bamboo in Assam; stubble, which is a problem in Haryana and Punjab, is being used for producing ethanol at Panipat.West Asian countries and the US have enough oil, but look at Brazil, which has surplus sugar and has been using ethanol for decades. Their vehicles have not suffered any problems. Indonesia and Thailand are going for biofuel.Q) Is there any possibility for providing E10 fuel at petrol pumps, which many say would address people’s concerns?How is it possible when we have achieved 20% ethanol blending and E20 fuel is available at every fuel station in the country? People who do not want ethanol blended fuel can go for 100% petrol, but they will have to pay more.Q) Can we have multiple dispensers at petrol pumps with different levels of ethanol blending so that people can decide?It won’t be appropriate for me to comment as it is for the petroleum ministry to decide. At some petrol pumps people have the option to buy E85 (85% ethanol blended petrol) for use in flex fuel vehicles (FFVs). Over half a dozen vehicle manufacturers are ready to launch such vehicles. E85 costs less than E20. So, people have a choice.Q) There are a lot of concerns over the quality of highways. Is it because the focus has been on speeding up construction?I have reviewed 950 highway projects and there is zero tolerance for poor quality construction. I am getting stretches checked and have asked officers to take strict action against those who’ve compromised on quality. There is a concerted effort to target me and the govt. But let me tell you, there may be a few places where there are problems but everyone appreciates govt’s effort in building world-class highways.
